IPSWICH, Mass. — April 11, 2016 — The University of Helsinki is the first university in Finland to use altmetrics provided by Plum™ Analytics, an EBSCO company, to gain greater insight into the research output of its scholars. Departments in several different disciplines are using PlumX Dashboard to monitor and quantify the digital footprint of its research, and in the process, are seeing how the instant feedback these metrics offer can be useful alongside standard academic citations when analyzing how its research is being used.
PlumX metrics have been an effective measure of real-time use of research articles for the university. The participating departments have seen feedback from several of the unique metrics that PlumX provides, including usage, captures, mentions, social media and citations. Through PlumX, the University is able to see a graphical summary, or Plum Print, of metrics for articles from researchers that are grouped by discipline. PlumX also shows metrics for individual researchers within their disciplines. Each type of metric can be analyzed separately, providing researchers with a granular view of their research’s impact.
Researchers at the university who are working with PlumX Dashboard believe that the PlumX metrics it provides will play an increasing role in the way researchers evaluate the impact of their research, especially as these tools become more entrenched in universities and libraries. According to Service Director Pälvi Kaiponen, “Altmetrics is still in its early stages, but as technology advances, its importance is likely to grow. It is essential to be involved from the beginning, so that we can influence the development of the tools. Perhaps in the near future altmetrics in sciences and other disciplines will be just as commonplace as traditional metrics are now.”
For more information on PlumX Dashboard and the entire PlumX Suite, visit http://plumanalytics.com/.
About University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest institution of academic education in Finland, an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki typically ranks among the top 100. The University of Helsinki seeks solutions for global challenges and creates new ways of thinking for the best of humanity. Through the power of science, the University has contributed to society, education and welfare since 1640.
About Plum™ Analytics
Plum Analytics was founded in 2012 to bring modern ways of measuring research impact to individuals and organizations that use, fund, support, perform, publish or analyze research. Plum Analytics provides contemporary information about research impact and gather metrics (often called altmetrics) about research from more than 30 sources (including PLOS, PubMed and YouTube) and categorizes them into Usage, Captures, Mentions, Social Media and Citations. The PlumX Suite is comprised of five products that ensure that information on research output is available to those that fund, perform, support or publish research based on the unique needs of each group. For more information, visit http://www.plumanalytics.com.
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 8,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 800,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
